On That One Time It Was Easter (Or, Not That Time I Explained 4/20 to My Mom)

Remember when it was Easter?

Fine. It was sort of a month and a half-ish ago, and shame on me for not posting about it in a more timely manner. However, it's either this or the story of me having to explain to my mother the significance of 4/20, and trust me, this has the potential to be more useful.

So.

Remember when it was Easter?

I am delighted to say that I have a gigantic and wonderful family. When you're Irish, Catholic, and American, this typically means that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter (the Big Three, if you will) are major affairs full of food, family, and fun (also, alliteration).

The former of that trifecta of holiday F's got a bit trickier when I became the first and only vegan among meat and cheese loving relatives. First off, let me say that everyone has always been very supportive of my choice, and I love to cook, so contributing a dish that I can eat to the potluck affairs is more fun than frustrating. But it's a little intimidating too. There's some skepticism that accompanies the idea of veganity. Were there a standard information pack for beginners, the phrases, "So...what do you eat?" and "Yeah, I had a vegan cookie once and it tasted like cardboard. But it's cool that you're doing that," would be listed under, "Things You Will Hear Constantly for the Rest of Your Life." When I make something to bring to a family gathering, it is with the knowledge that a combination of genuine curiosity and politeness will prompt most in attendance to at least try it. There's added pressure for it to be good, lest I set back the cause.

I know. It's a rough life. Fortunately, there are sites like Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Post Punk Kitchen, to which I turned for a simple and super delicious recipe for March's Easter brunch. I ended up going with the Raspberry Jam Swirl Crumb Cake, making a few modifications along the way. Recipe and pics after the jump.

Raspberry (Except Actually Strawberry and Blueberry) Jam Crumb Cake

Original recipe is not even a little bit mine and can be found here. 

So, before we dive in, a few things: 

1) As a matter of personal preference, I rarely use soy products - tempeh, tofu, and tamari are occasional exceptions. For me, this is largely due to taste and ease of digestion. I know that there's some question as to the healthiness of soy. I'm not a doctor and can't speak to any of that. What I do know is that there's good soy and bad soy, and that - as with any food product - the more heavily processed it is, the worse it tends to be for you. 

Anyway, when a recipe calls for soy milk, I usually just sub in almond milk as a rule. There are other dairy milk alternatives out there. Go through them, if you'd like, until you find the taste and texture that work for you.

2) Again, personal preference and I'm not a doctor, disclaimer, disclaimer, but I usually swap canola or vegetable oil in favor of safflower oil when baking. It has a high smoke point (meaning that it won't break down into bad elements of badness at high temperatures) and you can look up the potential health benefits on your own. Coconut oil is rad too, though it comes with its own list of benefits and drawbacks. As a rule, any recipe that calls for a truck full of oil should be used for the most special of occasions. Or not at all, 'cause a truck full is a lot.

Ingredients

For cake:

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil (or an alternative oil - I used safflower)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (alternately: use whole wheat pastry flour for up to half the amount, which will give you a slightly denser cake and will up the fiber of the recipe; you can also use gluten-free all purpose flour, which is getting easier and easier to find - even Trader Joe's has its own brand now )

2 tsp. baking powder (if making a GF version, be sure to use Clabber Girl or another confirmed GF brand)

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup raspberry jam (note: You can use any flavor jam, really. I actually used a combination of strawberry and blueberry. My brand of choice is St. Dalfour, which is made of 100% fruit and has no added sugars. I know, whatever, it's really good.)

For topping:

1 cup all purpose flour (or GF all purpose flour)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 cup canola oil (or alternative)

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 springform or a square pan (I went square). Measure out your milk and add the apple cider vinegar, then set it aside to curdle (gross word, necessary process).

Move on to the topping next so that it's ready to go. Mix together the the flour, cinnamon  and nutmeg in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle in the oil (about a tablespoonful-ish at a time) and swish it all around in the mixture with your fingers until crumbs start forming. Alternate adding oil and swishing until you've got large crumbs forming. Some of the crumbs will be small and kind of sandy, and that's cool, just as long as they're mostly pretty big. Add a wee bit more oil if you need to. Set aside when you're done.

Now for the cake. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the curdled (I know, sorry, but there's nothing for it) milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Sift in the baking powder, salt, and flour and mix until smooth. 

Pour your cake batter into the pre-greased pan. Spoon jam randomly on top, then use a knife to swirl it in, or put down a layer of it and swirl it just a little, if that's how you roll. If jam isn't your thing, skip this step and just make regular crumb cake. Sprinkle the topping on evenly and pat it down a little (gently - you don't want to shove it down into the batter). Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Easy, simple sweet treat for family brunch or a regular ol' breakfast. Enjoy!